Thawed (Jackunzel)
by Adventuregirl2108
Summary: They say true love can melt a frozen heart; Rapunzel did just that. She did everything in her power to let the ice-cold Jack know that she loved him. But every single thing seem to end in vain. "I want you to be happy, Rapunzel..."
1. Chapter 1

**This is dedicated to you. Yes, you.**

**I want to thank you, my dear reader, for reading this sorry excuse of a fanfic. There are a lot of great fanfics out there, and you took the liberty to choose my humble work. Thank you soooo much! I love you to bits! :3**

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"Wow! Your highness, it really suits you!"

I turned around and saw my reflection in the mirror. My hair was in a braid like the one that the children in the townsquare did; tuck between the spaces of the braid were little white stephanotis. My gown was pure white with a hint of gold on the linings; with it I was wearing an embroidered elbow length gloves. I was also wearing the floral diamond necklace my mother gave me on my coronation day. Everything was sparkling.

I turned to my lady-in-waiting, Emilia and we both giggled. "Where's Eugene?" I asked, "I want to show him my dress!" And then, as if my sentence was a go signal, Eugene bursted at the door, "I'm here!" I felt myself grinning.

"Eugene!" I hugged him. "So," I said and gave a little twirl, "...what do you think?"

He smiled warmly at me, "It's really beautiful Rapunzel..." and then he gave a little chuckle, "But there's still two hours before the wedding."

"I know..." I said in a sulky tone, "But I couldn't wait any longer!"

He laughed at that. "Hey Rapunzel," his face suddenly became serious, "...are you really sure..."

I cut him out, "For the umpteenth time, of course I'm sure. I've never been sure my entire life." I looked at my surroundings nostalgically. "I'll be leaving all this behind, huh? Hey Emilia..."

"Yes, your highness?"

"I'm going to take a look at the garden for a little bit." I was almost out of the room when I heard her say, "Don't climb trees and make your dress dirty." I just laughed at that and gave them a parting wave.

I arrived at the garden in minutes despite the castle being way too big. I took in all of my surroundings; the orange Asiatic Lilies, the huge and elegant fountain, the little bushes that were trimmed to perfection, everything. I sighed inwardly. _This really is goodbye huh?_

I was sitting on the bench near the fountain when I heard a scuffling noise. I was on high alert, but it soon faded and was replaced by a warm feeling when I heard his voice, "Your highness..."

I felt myself smile. It's been ages since I heard that icy voice of his, "You finally came," I turned around and saw the dashing man in front of me. He was the same boy I knew years ago; his black tuxedo that made him even paler, his white hair was as messy as ever, and those eyes... Those striking blue eyes that both held mischief and care.

His name flowed flawlessly through my mouth...

**_"Jack..."_**

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**A/N: Another note, yes. I just want y'all to know that I'll update this story every Wednesday and/or Saturday. But there will be a time where I'll update this a little bit earlier, I don't know... XD**

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**Yupina . 2014 . All Rights Reserved**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I can't help it! I can't stop myself for writing and posting another update. The power of Jackunzel is too strong to resist! (u)**

**Enjoy!**

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He gave me a little bow which made me chuckle. "Has it been 6 years already?" I asked, holding my chin. It was a habit of mine. I saw him nod. "Gosh Jack, you really are such an unmindful butler!"

"Unmindful?" he put his hand near his heart in feign hurt, "I did my best to rush over here, is that unmindful? You know it's..."

"Yeah, I know." I said, cutting him off. "Anyway, do you have anything to say?" I gave another little twirl. He carefully inspected me and my dress. Half of me expected some annoying remark, and the other half, a compliment.

"Yes, I'm moved by the sight..." I sighed in relief. Wait, why am I relieved? "The saying 'fine feathers make fine birds' is correct!" he added, then laughed so hard. It took me a couple of minutes to understand what he said, but when I did, I felt an angry vein pop and I hit him in the head. He yelped in pain. Serves him right. "Glad to see that you're still the same, Jack." I said.

"I was kidding! Geez, you're still the same yourself, _princess_. You're very..." he flashed me his oh-so-famous smirk. You know, the one that made all girls fall to their knees and worship him. But it won't work on me. "...beautiful." Alright, maybe it worked on me a tiny bit.

I am sure that there's an unhealthy amount of blush in my face right now. So to hide my embarassment, I turned around and proudly said, "Th-that's right!" I heard him chuckle. "Accompany me on a walk, Jack?"

"If you wish..."

"And.." I added, looking back at him, "talk about the past?"

He smiled at that. "Well then," he offered his hand to me, "will you take my hand, princess?"

I accepted and held his hand while we roamed the enormous garden. I remembered we used to do this back when we were kids. That time, I thought we would be like this forever; holding hands like this.

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I met Jack when I was six, he was eight then. He was introduced to me by the castle's head butler, Claus. My first impression of him was the worst, but that changed when I heard his family background.

He and his family were living on the middle of Mount Eyezenberg, the most chilliest place in the kingdom of Corona. He only had a mother and a sister who is younger than him. I found out that on the day Claus brought Jack to the castle, an accident happened. A terrible, terrible accident. An avalanche occured and destroyed his home and killed his only family. Only Jack survived.

_**Fourteen years ago...**_

I was running around in the palace courtyard when I saw Jack throwing some stones on the small pond. "Jack!" I called out, waving to him, "Hey, Jack! Can you to take me to the field past the rock wall nearby?"

I saw him wrinkle his forehead. He's clearly annoyed. "Why me?" he said icily.

I didn't let the chill overwhelm me. "There are pretty flowers there! I want to give it to my Mom. She's been in bed for a while now."

He returned his gaze to the pond, "That has nothing to do with me."

I pouted and was about to storm off when I thought of a great idea. "Jaaaack," I said in a singsongy voice, "If you don't do as I say, I'll tell Claus that you've been bullying me..." I then gave him my most innocent smile. Of course, my innocent act worked.

Again, with Jack's help, I climbed the tree near my mother's bedroom window and entered there. "Mother! How are you today?"

"P-Punzie! What are you doing?! How did you even get there?!"

I landed with a dull thud and walked toward my mother. "Jack helped me! Claus would be annoying if I entered mother's room. Here!" I handed her the flower I was holding. "I brought you flowers! Please get well soon!"

"Thank you Punzie." she hugged me, "I'm happy..." I hugged her back. I was about to say something when I heard the door opened. It was Claus.

"Princess Rapunzel! Why are you here? You shouldn't be disturbing her royal highness!"

"Gah! Claus! See you later mother!" I run back to the window and exited there. While I was balancing myself on the tree branch, I heard my mother laugh and said, "She's so lively today, isn't she Claus?"

I heard Claus saying something, but I was too distracted. I can't hold my balance properly, so I slipped and landed on the muddy puddle below. I was so dirty, but it didn't matter; Mommy smiled for me!

I looked up and saw Jack's retreating figure. I called out to him. "What is it?" he asked.

"Ah!" I got the flower out from the pocket of my dress and handed it to him. "This is for you! Sorry for troubling you, and thank you for accompanying me! Oh and, I want to see you smile too!" When he didn't respond, my face fell. "Is that not possible?" My tears were threatening to fall when Jack took the flower and patted me on the head. I looked up at him and saw a small smile forming on his lips.

"You're so stupid, you know that?"

_I was always teased by Jack, but..._

He offered his hand to me. "Let me help you, you're covered in dirt."

_He really was kind._

A couple of months later, a brown-haired boy was introduced to me by my father. His name is Eugene. My father said that he is the third son of the king of the neighboring kingdom, Etoas. At that time, my love for art blossomed and Eugene was the perfect model. The only problem is...

"Ack! Rapunzel! You can't get my _nose_ right!"

"I am still learning you know." I said, telling him off. But deep inside, I was trying not to laugh. While Jack... Well let's just say that he's dying of laughter.

Climbing trees, tag, hide and seek... That time, this garden was our entire world. The three of us always run around. I always got my dress dirty and was always yelled at because of that. In my mind, I thought these sunny days would continue forever.

But little by little, changes in the garden began to appear silently.

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**A/N: Sorry, I just **_**had **_**to use North as a butler. Don't hate me! XD**

**READ | COMMENT | FAN**

**Shirayuki © . All Rights Reserved . 2014**

**DATE WRITTEN: **March 30, 2014


	3. Chapter 3

"Your highness, it's time for your etiquette class. Your highness?" 

I can hear the small _thump-thump _of his shoes as Hugh walked around the garden to find me. I tried to blend myself with the green and white leaves of the tree when I saw him look up for a minute and walk past my hiding place. 

As soon as he walked out of my sight, I let out the breath I was holding. "Good. He already left." I laid back at the trunk of the tree, my left leg dangling on the thick branch I was sitting on. "Etiquette classes are so dumb. I already am a lady." 

"Heh. A lady? You make me laugh." 

The icy voice that was tinged with amusement almost made me fall off the tree. "Jack!" I stuttered, "Why are you here?" He crouched down in front of me as his right hand took a firm grip on a sturdy brach above. He was about to open his mouth when I continued, "Ugh, never mind that. . . this is my tree, get off!" I leaned towards Jack and hit him multiple times on his arms. 

"Ack! Rapunzel, stop! If you do that, the branch will..." a loud _crack_ stopped Jack from saying another word. The branch we were sitting on started to break. 

Afraid of falling 15 feet to the ground, I hurriedly went to Jack and clinged to him. _Wrong move. _Because of the uneven weight, the branch gave out and we fell. 

I closed my eyes. "GYAAAAH!" 

My shout was muffled by a loud _splash_. Suddenly, I can't breathe. I opened my eyes to see what happened; we landed in the pond. I swam my way out of the pond, worried about Jack. I hope he knew how to swim. After all these years, I never saw him swim. . . 

The same icy voice greeted me when I reached the top, "Ra. Pun. Zel!" I looked up to see Jack glaring daggers at me. 

"What in the world are you thinking?! Do you want to die?!" 

I didn't listen to his sermon. Instead, I run to his side and inspected him."I'm sorry, okay?" I ran my hand over his forehead. "Did you get hurt? Are you okay?" I looked at his body. "Ack! You're soaking wet! Hurry, go inside, you'll get sick." 

I was frantically pushing him when he turned around and held my cheeks. With a slightly amused expression, he said to me, "What a stupid princess you are. . . You're the one who's soaked, idiot." then he placed his forehead on mine. 

"Huh?" What's happening? Why are we so close? Why am I panicking? Why is it that even if I shaking, I'm all warm? It doesn't even make any sense! 

My gaze turned to Jack's face. His face is inching slowly towards mine. _Are we gonna kiss? No, it's impossible._ But then I saw him close his eyes. I screamed inside. _He's gonna kiss me! He's gonna kiss me! He's gonna kiss me!_

I can feel the tip of his lips brushing against mine. Just a bit more. . . 

I completely closed my eyes, waiting for the full kiss, but. . . 

"Achoo!" 

Jack moved away from me. "Wha?!" 

I covered my mouth, half in shock and half to prevent myself from laughing. Jack was completely at a loss. His mouth was agape, his brows furrowed. Before he could speak, Emilia called out to me. I pushed Jack in surprise. 

"Princess Rapunzel! Hugh and Claus had been looking all ove-. . . _Princess!_" she immediately went to my side, higly alarmed. "My goodness princess, _what happened?!_" 

"Umm..." I gave Jack a side-ways glance and felt my ears heat up. "N-nothing! We were just fooling around and then we fell in the water. Clumsy me!" I tried to laugh off my embarassment. _Gosh, that was too close._

Even though she's slightly suspicious, Emilia escorted me inside the palace. "Be careful around the princess next time." she sharply said to Jack. I have no idea why, but she becomes very stern whenever she saw Jack. 

The rest of the day went on with a blur. Every time I saw Jack, my ears would warm up and he would look away, slightly uneasy. As I lay on my four-poster canopy bed, I pondered on that afternoon's event. At that time, what was that? Aside from the unusual warm feeling I got, my heart beated faster than a hummingbird's wings. And his face. . . It was the first time I've seen Jack's face so close up. Close enough that our lips brushed against each other. 

As I think about that near-kiss, my whole face started to heat up. I buried my face in the pillow and rolled around. _Gaaah! What should I do? It feels like my heart is being squeezed, it hurts._

The next day, I woke up with someone greeting me good morning. "Good morning Cla... use?!" The one who greeted me wasn't Claus, it was. . . "Jack! What are you doing here?!" 

As if on cue, Claus entered my room, smiling widely like an idiot. "Me good boy Jack 'ere is learnin' 'ow to become a butler. I'll train 'im meself!" he said then slapped Jack at the back, making him cough. 

"Really?" my eyes twinkled at that. I looked again at Jack. He's wearing a black tux that fit him perfectly, and at the collar was a pin with our family crest on it. He looked really good, no lying there. "Is this the Jack who has a dirty mouth, bad personality, the person who I want to hit five times a day? The power of clothes is amazing!" I said, half-teasing him. 

Jack smiled, but I saw the muscle under his left eye twitch. "My lady, you really do say things that you want with an unhindered smile." 

I put my hands over my mouth. "Oh my, he's so formal!" I let out a girly, unfit for a princess squeal. "He's like Sebastian!" I said, referring to a character in a romance book that I read. 

"It'll be like this from now on, it would take some gettin' used ter, bu' it'll be alrigh'." Claus smiled at both of us. "There'll be a proper decorum between yeh an' Jack 'ere. Master an' servent, tha's there is ter it." 

"So..." I started, "we can't climb trees together anymore?" 

"Err no. Yer not 'spose ter climb trees yeh know. A lady of yer status - any lady at all, in fact - don't climb trees." 

"That's not fair!" I moved closer to Jack and held his hand. "Let's get along like before, okay? You'll be by my side, right?" 

"Your highness..." he brushed my hands away. "I cannot do such a thing." 

That was the start of a dream-like time. . . 

I was sitting on the patio drinking a cup of earl gray when Eugene came rushing to me. "Rapunzel!" he called out, "what happened to Jack?" 

I put my cup down, hearing a light _clank _as the cup reunited with its saucer. "What do you mean 'what happened'? Here you go, tea?" 

"Ah, thank you." he took a seat at the chair in front of me and grabbed the cup, drinking all of its content in one gulp. "As I was saying, he's so formal, it's annoying! He's a completely different person." 

"That's not true, his personality is still the same... _sarcastically speaking with a formal smile, it's so irritating! Tch!_" 

"What did you say?" Eugene asked, clearly not hearing my mumble. 

I waved him off. "Oh it's nothing. It's just... he's treating me how a servant should his master." 

"Fair point." he said, nodding. "But it made you lonely, didn't it?" 

I nearly choked at my tea. Me? Lonely? "I'm not lonely at all! Geez!" I let out a deep sigh and pulled Eugene out of his seat. "Come with me, we're doing a nude painting next!" 

"Nude?! How are you going to sculpt my god-like body? You can't even get my nose right!" 

I though about it as I pushed Eugene towards my art studio. I'm not lonely, I never had a reason to be. Yes, I sometimes caught myself stealing a glance at Jack, but that doesn't mean that I'm lonely, right? 

**A/N: Sorry for not updating this. I admit that I have a few free time to be able to write an UD, but I'm too lazy to do so. Lol.**

**Oh, and I changed Claus'/North's accent. Instead of a perfectly posh English (or Russian, like his accent in ROTG) accent, it will be in Hagrid's accent. (blame the Harry Potter books, I'm hooked yet again!) You can ask me to return him to normal if you don't like it. XD**

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**Shirayuki © . All Rights Reserved . 2014**

**DATE WRITTEN: **May 11, 2014

**_(Took me more than a month! *gasp*)_**


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